Could Your Smart Speaker Save You in a 999 Emergency?

Smart speakers are currently known for being a fantastic device to connect multiple audio platforms and devices. Soon this clever device may even be able to connect their owner to 999 in a life-threatening emergency!

The Sunday Times has recently revealed that they have seen documents covering the basics of how the system will work. The documents stated that “Contact may be triggered by the human issuing a command to their bot, or it may be automatically generated by the bot through AI. Work is already under way to design the technology capabilities of the future contact centre and to consider potential developments in this area”.

Greater London’s Metropolitan police are working on a system that is inclusive of an Amazon Echo, Google Home Hub, or Echo Dot speaker. The owner will activate the call by saying “Alexa, call the police” or “OK Google, call the police”. It will then be identified by the police as a ‘home automation bot’ call instead of a human.

Although there is no evidence to suggest exactly when this technology and feature will be available to the public, it is a fantastic and evolutionary move forward in ensuring the safety within homes. Whether elderly, in serious trouble, or simply just don’t have a phone to hand, this is really something that could change the face of police contact and save multiple lives.